"Right," he said.

"But he does lead it now?"

"Yep, well, Cornelius too."

Including the time spent in the study we'd been talking for over three hours about the um . . . group.

Actually I didn't really know what to call them.

"Ikovos, what do you guys call yourselves? Like do you have a special name or something?"

"Officially we're called the Order Delavedis, but that's only when we're dealing with political junk. With just us it's usually either the order or the guild."

That "political junk" was the most surprising thing I'd learned about so far. Thoran and the order didn't just fight the Meoden, but met with them as well. I had a hard time imagining one of those creatures in such a moderated arena . . . then again, Sylvanus, as I'd first seen him, would fit perfectly.

Ikovos hadn't told me much about how it all worked. I had a feeling I'd have to find out another way. I looked over at him. He was swinging a twig absently through the air as he walked. Since I'd met him he'd been brazenly honest with me on everything, but at times I could tell he held back. These political meetings with the Meoden were one of those times.

"Which do you use?" I asked him.

"Huh?" He asked, his features shifting. It seemed with everything he said there was a different, and quite exaggerated, face.

"Order or guild?"

"Oh," he said. "Order usually. Guild sounds too stuffy. But honestly I've never given it much thought."

A nice ability. People take it for granted. I give everything "much thought", too much. Not by choice, but a fact all the same.

"So you got a good idea of how things run now?" he asked.

Thoran and Cornelius lead, men fight, boys train, Sophie cooks, and I don't exist. . . .

"You're wincing," said Ikovos.

I looked at him. "Sorry. Yes, I think I've got it."

"As unconvincing as that was, it'll have to do, the horses are just up ahead."

My eyes veered forwards. I could see a clearing past the trees and in seconds we were through it. Sure enough, the horses stood tied to a wooden fence. Behind them was a pond fed by a slow, soft, waterfall that trickled down a high rock wall. On the left a cleft of rocks jutted out over the water. Ikovos pointed to this.

"Me and Jaden study a lot up there. It'll be a good spot for us to go over some basic spells."

My attention instantly turned from my surroundings to Ikovos.

"Already?" I knew the answer. Cornelius had said as soon as possible.

"No time like the present," he replied as he hopped up onto the rock and offered me a hand.

I don't get that saying. There are lots of times better than the present, for instance a day so far in the future you won't have to worry about it.

Luckily, this time, present was good. I grabbed his hand and followed him to the middle of the platform. We sat down and he popped open a book.

"Okay," he said. "You already know that not everyone can use magic. So don't worry if you can't do this stuff."

I nodded. Sure . . . I won't worry. . . .

He looked up at me. "When you grow up being trained in magic, you learn to think a certain way. You learn to be aware and in control of your mind with every action you make. You study your motivations and thought patterns, until you actually know yourself better. Eventually you'll find a part of you that already knows magic, how to conjure it, and eventually control it." He gave a lop-sided grin. "I don't know if that makes sense, but it's the best way I can think to explain it."

"No, it makes sense," I said. "I just wouldn't have thought it worked like that. So if you can't find the knowledge in yourself . . ."

"Then you're one of the ones that can never learn it."

I thought about this for a moment. "Before, earlier this morning, Jaden told me he didn't think magic came naturally. It sounded like he was saying anyone could do it."

Ikovos looked down and shook his head. "He would say that . . . you know why?"

My head went back and forth.

"Because . . . Ah, I can't tell you. It'd feel like I was breaking the man's code of secrecy or something."

"There's a man's code of secrecy?"

"No, I just sort of made the name up on the fly. But it stands for something, you know?"

Boys, they always leave you hanging.

"Fine, but this will come back to haunt you. One of these days you're gonna want to know something from me and bang, up pops the woman's code of secrecy." Hey, I think that was pretty witty.

He looked troubled, like he might actually be regretting not telling me.

I burst out laughing. There goes my wittiness.

Ikovos seemed to lighten a bit. "Okay, back to business. This book pretty much outlines the factual side of the process, but any artisan will tell it's more about instinct and practice. So . . . " He closed the book. "You can read this on your own if you want, but we'll just start with some exercises."

For the next hour he walked me through a spell to conjure a light. So far I hadn't had any luck.

"Try again," said Ikovos. "Focus on the nerves in your fingertips, then visualize the light growing out of them. It sounds corny, I know, but it works."

I tried for the third time, concentrating on my fingers like he said . . .

Still nothing.

I looked up at him. "Is this bad? Does it mean I can't use magic?"

His eyes narrowed. "Do you feel anything?"

I shook my head.

He looked away. "This is odd, I thought for sure. . . ."

"Show me something," I said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I mean . . . you're really good at magic right? Will you show me the spell? The one I've been trying?"

Big smile. "Sure," he said, then held out his palm.

I thought it might take a little while, but instantly his hand lit a bluish-white. Almost like a glowing fog had caught unto it.

He waved it around.

"That's amazing," I said as my eyes followed his hand. "How long did it take you to learn it?"

"This spell? I did it my second tr-"

I touched his hand. It felt cool. The mist crept unto my fingertip as I moved it across his palm. For a moment I forgot everything around me, completely focused on the light . . . and the tingling in my hand.

Ikovos coughed.

"Sorry," I said, quickly moving my hand away.

Ugh, this was the second time I had lost control of myself around magic. What am I doing? This isn't like me at all. I bit down on my lip.

He looked like he was about to say something when a voice came from the woods. "Sil!"

"Who is that?" I asked as Ikovos stared off into the forest.

"Jaden. He's looking for the horses, his horse rather. He'll check here." Ikovos kept his gaze turned.

"Look, Ikovos, about what just happened. I didn't mean to . . ."

He glanced at me and the corners of his mouth came up warmly. "Don't sweat it."

I forced a mirror smile and nodded. "Should I hide?"

"Did it work last time?"

"Well no, but . . ."

"Jaden's smart and I'm a terrible liar . . . it's not just that though. I know I told Cornelius I wouldn't tell him, but he's my best friend," Ikovos delivered this with a shrug. "We've never kept secrets."

Everyone keeps secrets. I let the thought pass. From what I'd seen of Jaden, he wasn't a person I'd naturally put my fate in the hands of.

A wince crossed my face.

"Eve, trust me," said Ikovos. "He's a good guy."

I forced another smile. "Alright."

This got me an ear to ear grin.

"Sil, come on girl," sang Jaden from the trees. "I've got a carrot."

The black horse whinnied immediately, quickly followed by the other. Jaden's voice was close enough that he had to of heard them.

Ikovos winked at me. "Let me do the talking."

If I have to. I thought sarcastically to myself.

Seconds later the dark-haired, dark-eyed boy appeared through the trees. He hadn't changed since this morning, same cloth shirt matched with leather pants. He looked up at us then turned to the horses and gave them their promised vegetables. After that he hopped up on the rock and sat down beside us.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed, until I was ready to blurt out something about the condition of the weather lately. Jaden saved me the embarrassment.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked, so nonchalantly it seemed he didn't expect a response.

Ikovos narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you gonna ask why Eve's still here."

Jaden glanced at me and gave a slight, possibly patronizing, smile, then turned back to Ikovos.

"Let me see. My wonderful, yet fancifully disposed, friend and the most tolerably sentimental person I know were put in charge of making a sweet-"

Sweet . . . ?

"-little-"

Little?!

"-doe-eyed-"

What!?!

"-girl-" my eyes narrowed "-go home when she obviously didn't want to. . . . The only way I'd be asking questions is if she wasn't here."

Ikovos glowered. "Nice Jaden. Very subtle."

Jaden lifted his shoulders as he leaned back. "The word isn't in my dictionary."

"How surprising," said Ikovos, sarcasm thick.

I tried to hold back a laugh, resulting in a short, throaty sound.

Jaden looked at me. "You think that's funny?"

I instantly adopted a straight face and shook my head.

"No, no, I see how it is. But you might want to remember that I could tell Thoran you're here whenever I feel like it."

My eyes veered to Ikovos, but he was just looking at Jaden. I watched him cross his arms and shake his head. Unless I was mistaken he thought this was funny.